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Marissa Mayer Got It Right - You Can't Fix A Broken Culture When People Aren't In The Office
Marissa Mayer Got It Right - You Can't Fix A Broken Culture When People Aren't In The Office
Max NisenMar 4, 2013, 23:31 IST
Marissa Mayer has faced a great deal of criticism for her decision to end remote work at Yahoo!, despite the fact that many at the company acknowledged it was a big issue. According to Tom Gimbel, CEO and founder of LaSalle Network, a Chicago-based staffing and recruiting firm, not only was it the right decision, the critics are off base. It's been turned into a "jobs issue," about taking away workers' privileges or disdaining working mothers, when it should be about a company that's in deep trouble. "They're viewing this as a jobs issue, that somehow Marissa believes that working remotely is bad," Gimbel said. "What this is, is a corporate turnaround and a culture change for a broken company." Everybody is looking to Yahoo! like its some kind of trend-setter or that Mayer's taking a personal stand against remote workers. But it's just a reaction to their particular issues. "If she had gone into Yahoo! and they were the leader instead of at the bottom of the category, it wouldn't be an issue.' Gimbel says. "It's an issue because Yahoo!'s been a laggard for a long, long time and needs a culture shift."When an entire company's struggling and needs to change its culture, you need their physical presence. "Camaraderie is built by working together. You wouldn't have a basketball team and have 5 players working in separate gyms on their jump shots." Gimbel said. "They might be better shooters but they wouldn't know how to work together."No one would argue that they would rather not have their best people in close proximity to their bosses and colleagues. "That's just not a logical thought process," Gimbel says. It's a mistake to focus on what's being taken away, Gimbel argues. Mayer's actually giving people something: the chance to help save the company. She wants the people who are truly committed, her best people, all in the same place at the same time helping to transform the company.
